Venomous Fate
by Overrated Fiction
Summary: The sickening sound of his own body being smashed against the wall was the last thing he heard. He hadn't expected to wake up again but he did. He found himself in an unfamiliar junkyard in what appeared to be a desert, no longer nineteen years old but ten-years old instead. His new chance at life began with an outwardly friendly but merciless murderer.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

A loud crashing sound rang out.

Sandwiched between the wall and the hood, my damaged lungs struggled to work as I found myself suffocating in my own blood.

My eyes watered, seeing my red blood splattered over the hood.

Somewhere, someone - a random woman, I think - screamed.

Seconds bled into minutes, time was irrelevant as people crowded around my mangled body.

The driver, predictably drunk, was washed over with regret and I think he could've been crying.

I couldn't tell.

As I heard the faint sounds of sirens, with the meaningless reassurances of a horrified bystander, the world around me slowly descended into a blurry nothingness. The voices and sounds had become distorted and replaced by a high-pitched ringing, as if I had lost my hearing.

I didn't will them to; I hadn't even realised that my eyes had closed until I done it.

And then there was nothing.

...

"... Urgh, it hurts. "

That was the first thought I opened my eyes. Lying on my back, lounging uncomfortably on sharp rubble, I could feel individual pieces of shrapnel penetrating my spine. It wasn't searing, the insides of my body didn't feel as if they were boiling me alive from the inside - like the accident - but the pointed pieces of rubbish pierced into my back in a way that made me want to squirm and writhe, despite feeling tired. That was another thing: I felt tired. The clothes on my body felt like they were heavier, almost pinning me to the ground like weights, and I had almost no ambition to move.

I was on standby, blankly watching the orange-tinted sky in front of me, listening to the soft sound of sand being whisked away by the wind. I wasn't thinking or feeling, just observing. And then suddenly.

"Ah, you're awake."

So focused on my personal thoughts, I hadn't failed to recognize the presence of anybody else. I jumped slightly, shifting so that I was sitting up, scraping my back against some metal but I didn't rip my clothes. My eyes quickly scanned my surroundings for the person. I wondered who the person may be, before my vision landed on someone.

The stranger was dressed rather bizarrely, I thought. For some reason, unknown to me at the time, he was wearing a purple Japanese-looking robe with his hair tied up in a single topknot. His moustache and beard were unshaven, and I likened him to some sort of samurai. This was particularly off-putting to me bearing in mind that we appeared to be in a... junkyard. In the background I could see various piles of dishevelled trash and scrap metal, one of which I had been uncomfortably resting on.

I squeaked slightly, my voice unnaturally high-pitched, as I shuffled back slightly. Apparently, my reaction must've seemed funny to him because he interrupted the silence with a hearty laugh.

"Kid, relax. I'm not going to hurt you." He laughed, looking at me as if I was behaving childishly. The use of the word 'kid' made me frown; being nineteen years old, I was a teenager, considered by some to be a young adult. Not a _child_. The stranger didn't seem to notice my reaction as he settled down into an easy-going smile.

He relaxed, plopping himself right onto the nearest heap of abandoned belongings. He looked at me inquisitively and asked, "You okay?"

"I-I'm fine." I started before coughing to hide my nervousness. I usually didn't act this anxious, at least not to this degree, but being involved in a car accident and then waking up somewhere entirely different place with an abnormally dressed stranger would make anyone act nervous. Speaking of waking up in a different place, I couldn't help but ponder something as the man slackened permissibly.

"U-um, where am I?" I asked, hesitantly.

"You don't know?" He responded with a look that had surprised me; not one of confusion or annoyance but once of understanding and maybe even pity. "You're in Meteor City."

'Meteor City…?' I thought to myself, wondering where I had heard that before. It felt like I had heard of it before, my chest felt like it was slowly but surely going to burst as I tried to think of where I had heard of it. It didn't sound real but still familiar. The stranger looked at my deep contemplation, apparently not surprised by my confusion, but didn't offer any explanation. Instead, he asked:

"Say, kid, how old are you?" I was about to respond 'nineteen' (and therefore not a child) when he continued. "You can't be much older than ten or eleven, right?"

For a moment or two, I looked incredulously at him. It must've been some backhanded compliment. Otherwise, it didn't make sense, I thought. I turned over slightly, eyeing the shiny remains of a silver car. I froze.

The person in the reflection wasn't me. The person in the reflection's hair was a dishevelled mess with brown hair that had occasional strands which covered parts of his eyes. The person in the reflection's clothes were baggy, wearing dark blue short-sleeved shirt over a long-sleeved grey shirt, with black trousers. His eyes were grey, which to my knowledge wasn't even an eye colour. But the biggest difference from me and the stranger was that the stranger wasn't a teenager. He was prepubescent, looking around the age of ten years old, with freckles that made him look innocent and, quite frankly, cute: the stranger was a child. The stranger wasn't me, not who I used to be, but was now.

I was stunned, barely processing this information. Realizing the stranger expected an answer, I responded with the answer I thought made the most sense.

"I-I'm… ten." I said hesitantly, tugging the end of my shirt down nervously. His relaxed but condescending way of speaking then made sense, it wasn't as if he was talking to a child: he was talking to a child.

"Hmm, what's your name?" He asked, apparently wanting to keep this conversation going. Probably realizing how discomforting it would be for a child - at least from his perspective - to be asked their name by a stranger, he added. "My name is Nobunaga."

That was what set it off. My breath hitched, a cold realization shivering up my spine as I stared at the stranger – a man who shouldn't even exist – with horrified shock present in my eyes. When I was alive, the 2011 Hunter x Hunter had been my favourite anime or at the very least, up there. I almost cursed myself for not remembering Meteor City as soon as I heard it. My mind couldn't keep up with each revelation: how I looked, where I was and who I was talking to.

For the slightest moment, a small part of me was excited at the idea – then a larger part of me metaphorically strangled that small part. This wasn't Gon, it was Nobunaga. A killer. Who I was casually (well, as casually as I could at the time) chatting with. Considering I was talking to a murderer, I immediately felt the need to give any name as to not anger him.

"My name is…" I immediately tried to think of any male Japanese names I knew – I felt like an English name might have sounded strange and I wasn't creative enough to make one up. "M-Mitsuru."

I was at least seventy percent sure that was a boy's name.

He smiled at what appeared to be me opening up. From what I saw of the anime, Nobunaga had been the easiest out of the Phantom Troupe to get along with, very easy-going and down-to-earth but even I knew that behind that smile was the ability to end the lives of many people with no thought.

He observed my guarded demeanour and frowned. "Do you know how you got here – to Meteor City?"

"I-I…" I tried to think of a good enough excuse but I just couldn't think of any explanation. Finally, I hesitantly settled. "I-I don't know."

Nobunaga nodded. Suddenly, he raised himself so he was standing up before striding towards me, and for one gruesome moment I thought that I might die again. What I hadn't expected was for the man to hold out his hand. For a moment or two, I uncomfortably stared at the hand before reluctantly grabbing it, allowing him to pull me up. I stood nervously next to the thief, who towered over me: a cruel reminder of my new height.

The Spider stared down at me for a second, contemplating what he was about to say for a second before smiling a reassuring-looking grin.

"Say, kid. You looking for a home?" He asked, which made me wince: I had no home.

I had no chance to respond before he continued.

"You see, I am part of a group called the Phantom Troupe – a world-renowned gang of thieves." He explained, as if it was something to be proud of – even dressing it up to sound interesting. "We are a group with twelve members – the legs – and one leader – the head – but recently, the person who used to be number 7 died. We need somebody to replace him."

I nodded, although I was somewhat bewildered that he seemed to be asking a ten-year old to join a gang of thieves and murderers. He continued despite my confused expression.

"So, I was wondering: would you like to join? You don't have anywhere else to go." He casually pointed out. "Now, I'm not saying you can join right now – I mean, you can't even use Nen… you know what Nen is, right?"

"N-Nen is… your life energy, right?" I asked.

"Some people refer to their life energy as Nen, yes. But that's not the Nen I was referring to: Nen is a technique which allows one to control and utilize their life energy." He explained, although I already knew. I thought that exposing my knowledge might have raised some questions that I wouldn't know how to answer.

"So, here's the deal: I'll rent an apartment for you to stay in and teach you how to use Nen, and when the time comes, you'll join the Spiders. Okay?"

I wasn't even processing information anymore: the revelation after revelation was just getting to a point that I couldn't understand anything. Maybe it was because I hadn't entirely accepted the idea of living in the world of Hunter x Hunter but I considered saying yes. But even then, I could recognize one thing.

"Why?" I asked. "I- uh... The only person who benefits from this deal is me."

He looked at me with a condescending but friendly smile reserved only for children. It frustrated me.

"Kid, I want you to join the Spiders."

That hadn't answered anything.

"But… w-why?"

He paused for a moment before chuckling. "Because you're all alone."

For a moment, my breath hitched. I was caught off guard, not expecting such an answer from a… killer. I looked at him, trying to hide my confusion but my eyes showed my disbelief.

"You are like us. The Phantom Troupe." He smiled which I suspected was a smile of nostalgia. "I could tell when I saw you lying there in the mud: you're lost. You have no home, you don't even remember how you got here. That's who the Spider was made for – the people who have no-one. You're the ideal member."

"But... you couldn't tell that by just loo-"

"I could just tell." He huffed, before looking at me again. "You didn't answer. Is it a deal or no?"

The choice rested heavily on my shoulders, pushing downwards to the point where I felt like was suffocating,. My mind was slow on the uptake, thrown into a frenzy as my morals argued with my uncertainty. Deep down, the decision was obvious but I just couldn't make it. I accepted that I needed somewhere - anywhere - to call home. He had been right: I was terribly lost. Someone needed to help me adapt to my situation, even if said person was deplorable. The amount of time it took Gon and Killua to learn the basic principles of Nen with Wing was around six months, I rationalized, and they were born with natural talent: the Phantom Troupe would have replaced the member by then.

Maybe I was just trying to make myself feel better for considering it but I believed that I could get out of the deal.

So I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked at Nobunaga.

"D-deal."

...

 _Word Count: 2,170_

 **If you are reading this, then thank you! You've - most likely - read the entire thing. I know the whole 'waking up in a different world' thing is not something terribly original.** **This was just an idea that I humoured and got so interested in that I felt like I had to write it. Writing is very fun for me and although I know this won't be the best story on Fanfiction. Net but if I'm going to become better at writing, I have to start somewhere.**

 **So this is the main character, Mitsuru. I'm not sure if I should reveal his real name or not, considering it wouldn't be too important. There were many different ideas for how the story should start and I decided to go with this one because this was the most plausible start.**

 **See if you can guess what Mitsuru's Nen type will be and tell me about it in a review. If you have any questions, want to talk about what you liked or what you didn't like about this chapter, please leave a review. I will gladly read and reply to you! Anyway, next chapter coming very soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Nobunaga unlocked the motel room door, showing me into a small room. Unsurprisingly, there were no particularly respectable accommodations that were affordable in Meteor City so Nobunaga had instead paid for a room at the Happy Days Motel – an establishment he claimed made up for its grungy appearance in comfort but I suspected this was just him trying to reassure me.

My first impression of the room was that it must've been cheap.

The walls were rather drab-looking, the room was small and there was very minimal furniture. Although I guess I hadn't expected him to be squandering hundreds of Jenny (it was confusing to accept this new type of currency but I had to get over it) on someone he had only recently met. The bed at least looked like it could be somewhat comfortable. I couldn't help but notice that there were no other beds in the apartment aside from that one.

"I'm not your dad, so I won't be staying with you." I wondered briefly how my dad - and by extension my mother - was doing before waving those thoughts away. I couldn't beat myself up about things that were out of my control.

I walked around the room, observing everything. I smiled slightly at the sight of a TV, although experience would tell me that the only I'd be able to watch would be either boring, cheaply made or long advertisements. On the wall was a decently-made painting of the mountainside which looked out of place. Soon, I encountered a door which led to a bathroom- unfortunately, a particularly shoddy bathroom. I immediately backtracked out of said room.

Nobunaga observed my curiousness with an amused, inquisitive expression, finding my inquisitive nature to be somewhat endearing. As he leaned against the wall and watched me with the slightest smile, I figured that he must've gotten along well with children. Although I wasn't a child… mentally, even if he didn't know that. As I closed the door to the bathroom, I walked over towards the bed in front of Nobunaga and sat down, breathing out exasperatedly and letting my guard down.

"You know what, kid? Let's get to know each other." He started, deciding to try and casually talk to me, believing my relaxing to be the same as me being comfortable in his presence. He sauntered over to a nearby chair before dragging to the space in front of me, before sitting down. "We barely know each other. It'll be fun…!"

'If barely knowing each other was a problem then why even train me?' I thought but did not dare to say. I looked at him uneasily and muttered an almost inaudible 'okay', which thankfully he acknowledged – considering his physical abilities, him having good hearing was understandable.

"My full name is Nobunaga Hazama." He explained. Admittedly, I hadn't known his last name but that was because it had been a while since I last saw the Yorknew City arc. "What's yours?"

"… Mitsuru Nishimura." I lied, randomly choosing the surname Nishimura on a whim.

"Nishimura, eh? Okay. Now it's your turn to ask a question."

My turn…?

I realized something. Although I lacked the information to truly understand what was happening around the world, I could ask Nobunaga questions that could at least clarify things for me.

"H-how old are you?" I asked suddenly, leaving him to look at me with a slightly bewildered expression before relaxing into a smile – maybe I was willing to talk to him.

"I'm 27 years old – born on September 28, 1970."

I concentrated, biting my lip in an attempt to focus, trying to remember my Hunter x Hunter trivia. The Yorknew City arc was between September 1st to September 5th in the year 1999. It was currently the year 1997, if Nobunaga was 27 years old, which was two years before the Yorknew Arc starts. Shizuku should've already joined considering that, from what I could remember, she replaced a member who died three years prior to the Yorknew arc. I wondered who I was replacing.

"My turn – when were you born?"

"I was born in…" I remembered I said I was ten and tried to subtract my current age from the current year. "… 1987, March 18. A-and you know that I'm ten."

Although I had changed the year, the date was the same as my birthday in real life.

"Oh – March 18? So, you only had your birthday last month."

That meant it was currently April.

"W…w-who are the current Phantom Troupe members?" I hesitated to ask but the words rushed out of my mouth.

He frowned before shaking his head. "There are currently only 12 members of the Spider, other than me."

He cleared his throat before starting a long-winded explanation.

"The Spider is led by the Head: Chrollo Lucilfer, a specialist Nen user. Beneath him are the now eleven legs: me, Machi, Feitan, Phinks, Uvogin, Pakunoda, Kortopi, Shalnark, Hisoka, Shizuku and Franklin. You are replacing the old member, Grilmer."

I absorbed this information, my ears perking at the mention of the name 'Grilmer'. I knew this character wasn't in either the manga or either adaption of the anime and he couldn't have been the former 8th spider because Shizuku was here – he or she must've been never talked about in Hunter x Hunter. I noticed that Nobunaga hadn't mentioned Bonolenov as part of the legs. After thinking for a second, I figured it out. Bonolenov must have replaced the member Grilmer before the beginning of the Yorknew City arc, but I would be the one replacing Grilmer this time.

Poor Bonolenov.

Our game continued on for about half an hour, with me learning many trivial things like Nobunaga's favourite colour (he liked purple), whether he preferred winter over summer (summer was better) and even who his best friend (reluctantly said he was close with Uvogin). Eventually, he decided to call it quits and told me that he was going to head out, apparently having somewhere else to sleep while I stayed at the motel room. Did he even sleep?

"Tomorrow, we'll start our training so get some rest, Mitsuru. I'm going to teach you about the basics of Nen."

He waved goodbye before opening the door, leaving me alone to my thoughts.

…

That night had been rough. I found myself constantly twitching, rolling myself up in the covers before kicking the cover off me before repeating the process. Shadows contorted and snapped into horrifying shapes on the walls, and I tried to distract myself by listening in to the faint sounds of movement from the other rooms. Whenever my mind wasn't thinking about how defenceless I was in this world I was inexperienced with, I couldn't help but think of my family again. Were they grieving or did they not even know I was gone? Was it… ungrateful of me to be living here while my parents could be planning my funeral, while they were in deep grief? I didn't know and I was very distressed.

I had never been so glad to hear the insistent sound of a murderer knocking on my door before; in my either of my lives.

"Breakfast?" He asked, handing me a brown paper bag with some form of snack inside. I muttered a quiet 'thank you' before eating it.

Nobunaga smiled before starting. "Alright, let's get to it: training begins now!"

To start with, Nobunaga explained to me the concept of Nen, writing and drawing on a piece of paper to illustrate his point. I already understood the basic idea but it was interesting and somewhat reassuring to hear him explain it, as if confirmation that this really was happening. Even despite my acceptance of what was happening to me, I still couldn't escape the uncertainty that this might not be real.

He outlined the Four Major Principles: Ten, Zetsu, Ren and Hatsu. I would study Ten first, before moving onto Zetsu, then Ren. I would learn to apply those principles to the advanced techniques. Hatsu would be something I would do afterward by refining it myself, as Hatsu was based around individuality so Nobunaga couldn't exactly teach me it. But first, he explained, I must learn how to activate my Nen.

"To activate your Nen, there are two main methods: the deliberate way or the aggressive way. However, we don't have nearly enough time to do it the deliberate way – it doesn't take a whole year to replace an old member - so instead we're going to have go through Initiation or Baptism. This is where I use my aura to force your Aura nodes open. You must learn to use Ten very quickly, or else you will grow tired."

I frowned, worried for my safety.

"Don't worry – it can only be dangerous if the teacher is either inexperienced or has malevolent intentions." He reassured, although I didn't feel any better.

He then asked me to get rid of any extra belongings on my body that I didn't need although I didn't have any. A cold shiver ran up my spine as he moved his hand behind my back because, although he told me that it could be dangerous, I knew for certain that this method could kill me. And it wasn't as if I trusted Nobunaga with my life or anything even close.

Suddenly, with no warning, I could feel myself be overpowered by an intense feeling. I couldn't stop myself from shaking slightly, part of me excited and another part of me surprised. I gasped, noticing something next to my arm that hadn't been there before.

Flowing around my body was something that looked like steam. My aura.

I had already accepted that I was in the Hunter x Hunter universe but even so, seeing my Aura flow around my body was something in a world of its own. I observed the foreign energy with an inquisitive expression, unable to describe the feeling of having something invisible around my body. It was if I was standing in the middle of a cloud. Needless to say, I found it very interesting. Nobunaga, however, digressed.

"Don't get distracted, concentrate on keeping your aura within your body."

I closed my eyes and breathed out, calming myself. This was more important than staring at the outline around my body.

"Focus. Then visualise your aura flowing around you like your blood"

I could feel my Aura flow around me.

"From the top of your body, to your shoulder. Work your way around the body."

My body was calm, finally ridding itself of all its stress.

"Now imagine that flow to ebb away, to hover around your body."

I was almost at peace.

Suddenly, I heard Nobunaga whistle, almost beaming in approval. I didn't understand nor wish for it, but I couldn't help but feel happy at the sound.

"You took to Ten well, for a beginner." He observed, making me turn away as my face had an exhilarated expression on it that made me feel embarrassed. For a moment or two he smiled before wearing another commanding expression on his face.

"But it's nowhere good enough for the Phantom Troupe."

I frowned, with the smallest part of me disappointed that I was nowhere near strong enough, but another part of me knew it was because I had only just started. So, I nodded and we continued practising.

…

It had been one month since the day I was initiated and I was getting more comfortable around Nobunaga.

While it had taken me longer to learn that it did for Gon or Killua, I eventually managed to get a hang for Ten. It was slightly embarrassing for me as I tried holding myself up to the standard set by the two protagonists – even though technically they didn't even know Nen considering this was like two years before the start of Hunter x Hunter – but the occasional line of approval from Nobunaga made me feel better about the whole thing. I kept forgetting that the man who smiled and encouraged me was not just a thief but a horrifying murderer who stole the eyes from the corpses of the Kurta clan; I felt like I was acting like the naïve child I looked like.

At that moment, since Nobunaga felt like my Ten met the criteria for the Phantom Troupe (which I doubt existed, he just didn't want anyone weak to join the gang), we had moved on to Zetsu. Zetsu undoubtedly easier for me to handle.

What wasn't easy for me to handle was Nobunaga's way of teaching.

I moved my hand to try to move blindfold up slightly before Nobunaga slapped my hand down.

"We need to work on your basic instincts. Knowing Nen is a great asset but Nen is just a tool – the way you use it counts. If you only rely on Nen, then you're going to be screwed in situations where you cannot use Nen."

"B-but why the blindfold?" I asked, wringing my hands together. The lack of knowledge about our destination was making me somewhat anxious, considering who I was with.

"The blindfold is so you can learn to rely on your instincts! If you can't see, you'll have to rely on instincts rather than observation." Nobunaga explained to me, although this news hadn't done anything to quell my anxiousness.

"We're going to play a game. The aim of the game is to make sure you rely on instincts and your own senses just as much as you rely on Nen, as they're just as important. I shall throw rocks at you while using Zetsu, while you must use your instincts to avoid them. You cannot take the blindfold off nor can you use Ten to protect yourself. Let's go!"

I could hear him jump away and my heartbeat rapidly increased.

With no idea where he was, I had no clue where the projectiles would come from. Suddenly, I heard a sound and recoiled in pain as what I assumed to be a jagged rock flew into the back of my right leg.

Suddenly, Nobunaga's voice could be heard far behind me. "You aren't relying on your own senses. Stop worrying where I am, calm down and let your senses tell you instead."

I swerved around just in time for a rock to make contact with my stomach, sending me down onto my backside as I coughed.

I pushed myself back up, trying to calm down but then another rock came, just missing me as I turned slightly to avoid it; not due to my instincts but rather dumb luck.

Whenever I tried to calm down and think about it, another rock would fly my way and strike me down. This was non-stop, and very discouraging.

For twenty whole minutes, I tried pathetically to avoid Nobunaga's projectiles but no matter what I did they would strike me down.

I was almost on the verge of giving up. I breathed out, trying to stop my eyes from watering- they weren't tears yet but I didn't want to cry in front of Nobunaga.

I recognised the sound of a stone flying through the air on my right. I moved back, although sloppily, resulting in me falling back onto my backside before hearing the stone whizz past me. I pushed myself up, wondering if this was what relying on my instincts meant.

Another whizzing sound from behind me on my left. I quickly dodged, stepping to the right slowly as I felt the air next to me as the stone barely missed the left side of my face.

The pace picked up slightly, another rock coming from directly in front of me. I ducked down, feeling it skim the top of my head, only touching my hair.

More and more rocks were being thrown and I was dodging more and more rocks. Occasionally, one would skim me or hit me but my confidence had boosted after I realized all I needed to do was to trust my instincts.

One rock flew from the top-right corner, and I could feel it come towards me as if it were a part of me. Instead of just moving out the way, I felt myself moving without thought as my arm shot outwards, my fingers spreading out before suddenly clamping shut.

I heard Nobunaga heartily laugh, accompanied by impressed clapping sounds as I realized what I just did.

Hastily, I used my left hand to take off my blindfold and I looked down, trying to see if what I thought I did was what I actually did. And there it was, my fingers clasping it tightly: a rock.

"Well done, Mitsuru." He smiled, not expecting that I would do anything but dodge the rocks let alone catch one of them. "You relied on your instincts there, instead of observation."

I smiled unknowingly, feeling the rock as I flipped it over, smoothing the jagged stone with my thumb.

Nobunaga noticed this and added, "you did well today."

"…Thank you." I didn't even mumble as I said this, so impressed with myself I forgot my inhibitions.

Nobunaga patted me on the shoulder with a soft smile, before stretching.

"That's enough training for today, let's go get some lunch."

Let's just say that we got a lot of looks when we went to eat, considering how I looked.

…

It had been exceptionally easier for me to learn Zetsu rather than Ten, taking only two weeks for me to meet Nobunaga's expectations- half the time it took for me to learn Ten, too. It had really put a spring in my step and made me excited to learn Ren, even if I still took longer than Gon and Killua did to learn it.

In the beginning, I struggled with Ren slightly, wondering why my aura wasn't intensifying. However, considering that I already learned Ten, I wasn't as easily deterred as before and then learning Ren became easier to grasp. All it took were two and a half weeks, which for me was a major accomplishment, even if it was slightly longer than the time it took for me to learn Zetsu.

I sighed, lounging carelessly on my shoddily-made bed, skimming the words of the page in front of me with my finger as I read along with it. Fortunately, the nights had gotten easier for me to deal with as I became more comfortable in the routine although sometimes my mind would drift to my parents, or my friends and I would wonder if I would ever see them again.

The sound of knocking on my door made me put my book down. It could have only been Nobunaga as he was the only person who ever came around, so I quickly pushed myself off the bed and went to open the door. I opened the door allowing Nobunaga to come in, noticing something was off.

By off, I meant Nobunaga looked too happy. He had an excited smile on his face, which was very different to the teacher character he used during my training, so I immediately wondered what was going on.

Luckily, I didn't have to wait too long to get an answer.

"I've decided that, for working so hard, you should be rewarded." Nobunaga explained, looking down at me with an eager expression that made me both excited too, and uneasy. What was so good that would cause Nobunaga to act so excited? It was also somewhat jarring to think that Nobunaga thought I needed to be pacified for simply training but, since from his perspective I was a kid, maybe he just thought that kids worked better with rewards.

"So, I've decided to allow you to meet one of the Spiders." He exclaimed. I gulped, wondering why he thought this had been a good idea. There was another murderer… here? Which one was it?

Although I had liked him on the show, I knew that I would probably freak myself out if Feitan was here. He was too… sadistic, for lack of a better word, for me to handle.

Stepping into the room, previously obscured by the darkness from outside, a woman stepped into the room. She was skinny and fairly tall (although this could've just been my new, short height), wearing a purple suit that exposed quite a fair bit of her cleavage. She had short, blonde hair that had only reached the bottom of her neck. I instantly recognized her and became anxious. Her power was one that could ruin me.

"I hadn't expected Nobunaga to be teaching anyone," she started, walking towards me in her serious way, "but it's nice to meet you."

I was lost for words, wondering about what this could mean for me. Was she going to… use her mind-reading ability on me?

She stared at my anxious expression before chuckling and looking at Nobunaga, who also smiled.

"Timid, isn't he? That's alright. I used to timid when I was younger, too."

She raised out her hand for me to shake it, which I did so reluctantly and only because Nobunaga expected me to.

"My name is Pakunoda."

...

 _Word Count: 3,601_

 **This chapter clarified when the story is taking place. So this story is taking two years before the Yorknew City arc so by the time that starts Mitsuru will be twelve years old.** **I decided that the Troupe shouldn't have more than thirteen members so, if Mitsuru was gonna join, someone had to go.** **Bonolenov was chosen because, let's face it, he was probably the least emphasized member of the Phantom Troupe along with Kortopi except Kortopi was still very important to the Yorknew arc despite his lack of screen time. Bonolenov just wasn't ever important.**

 **Anyway, Pakunoda has shown up, so Mitsuru's memories could lead to a lot of conflict.**

 **Mitsuru is learning Nen! Soon enough, maybe even in the next chapter, we'll find out what Mitsuru's Nen type is: is he an Enhancer, Transmuter, Conjurer, Emitter, Manipulator or Specialist? Leave a review to give your opinion on which one he should have.**

 **Thank you for reading! I am grateful for the people who have favourited and followed this fanfiction. Please leave a review because they do motivate me, although I'll still write a chapter.**


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